Monday, February 18, 2013
Tonight on TV breaks down the best and worst of the week in television for the week of February 10, 2013
The Grammy Awards were nowhere near as big as last years performance, which benefited from the death of Whitney Houston just one day before. They were; however, still very big. A massive 28.37 million viewers tuned into the telecast, with a strong 10.1 demo. Those numbers represent one of the strongest in the shows history. Whether this will be the biggest award show of the season has yet to be seen. We will have the answer Monday morning though (Oscar's air Sunday)!
There is bad and then there is bad. Unfortunately for ABC, this was one of those bad moments. The debut of its new Nazi conspiracy drama underwhelmed with 6.38 million viewers and a 1.4 demo. Zero Hour now holds a special spot in the ABC record books: the lowest ever in-season premiere for an ABC drama. With nothing left in the reserves for midseason (save perhaps Wipeout) ABC will likely stick with Zero Hour through the end of the season.
At first glance you may be thinking, what, how can Chicago Fire be the best of the week? I have the answer: defeating (or at least tying) the competition. All season Chicago Fire has been in the shadow of CSI. Chicago Fire came thisclose to tying CSI the week it had The Voice has a lead in, but couldn't quite get there. This week, for the first time yet, Chicago Fire tied CBS' long running drama. 6.65 million viewers and a 1.9 demo may not seem like much, for NBC, it's a huge win.
American Idol isn't the powerhouse it once was, but its one hour show provided a very healthy 3.7 demo lead in. Too bad Glee isn't the show it once was either, or it may have done much (much) better. This past week Glee sank to what I believe is a new series low: 5.13 million viewers and a 1.7 demo - a fourth place finish in the hour. Earlier this season I predicted Glee to be an easy renewal for FOX (Post from August 2012), but as the season progresses, that is quickly changing to cancellation.
I usually do not include cable shows, but this week I am going to make an exception. The season 3B premiere brought it a whopping 12.26 million viewers and scored an even bigger 6.1 demo - easily a series high for the show. Even more impressive? The repeat of the 3A finale (which aired at 8pm) scored a solid 5.45 million viewers and a 2.6 demo. Those numbers are in line with what a network would want for an original episode these days. For a great read on the show, check out Spotted Ratings.
Last week I included 90210 for drawing a paltry ~700,000 viewers and 0.4 demo. This week, I'm including it for doing even worse, something I did not think was all that possible. The Monday airing pulled in a tiny 660,000 viewers with an even smaller 0.3 demo. Many have said it (as have I) and I will say it again: 90210 does not need a final season order. The CW executives should tell the crew to prepare a series finale and just get the show off the air.
Honorable Mentions: The Big Bang Theory, Scandal, Modern Family, 2 Broke Girls
